There are essentially only two ways to deal with a shooting slump as a basketball player. Some opt to shoot a little less, contributing to the team in different ways. Others choose to just shoot their way through it.
In the least surprising news of the season, Los Angeles Lakers wing Nick Young falls in the latter category.
Young has been ice-cold over his past 10 games, shooting just 31.7 percent from the floor, though he's hit 34.7 percent from long range. The issue was on full display Friday, when he posted his worst shooting mark of the season - a 2-of-13 performance.
"Nah, I'll stick to doing what Swaggy P do," Young said when asked after the game if he'd try to become more of a facilitator as a result of his slump.
What Swaggy P do, to be clear, is shoot unapologetically. He's taken 325 shot attempts this season and dished just 27 assists despite shooting 37.8 percent overall. Of his 29.2 touches per game, only 14.1 get passed on to teammates.
The optics are poor, but Young's actually somewhat justified shooting when he gets the ball, which isn't very often in relative terms. He ranks second among qualified players with 0.495 points per touch, and he's averaging 14.4 points, with his offensive efficiency checking in at roughly average thanks to the added value of his 40.3 percent 3-point stroke and his 91.5 percent mark from the line.
The line is one area in which Young's been thriving, hitting 25 consecutive freebies.
"Damn, what's the record?" Young asked when told of his streak Friday. Sadly, the record is 97. "I ain't gonna get that."
Young is fully expecting his shooting to come around, surely having lived through slumps in the past. Rather than get up extra shots or change his role, he has an unorthodox idea for coming out of his current cold stretch.
"I didn't shoot well, obviously," Young said. "I need some love. I need a good vibe to start shooting better. So I need y'all to all hug me after this."
Reports are vague as to whether Young got the hug he needed, but here's betting his slump comes to a close sometime soon. As is often the case with streaky shooters, he's due to get hot again sometime soon.
